


Coming Home

by badskippy



Series: Bagginshield One-Offs [16]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Family Feels, M/M, Toddler!Frodo, parent!bagginshield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 20:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11997666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badskippy/pseuds/badskippy
Summary: Bilbo reads Frodo the story he's working on ... only, Frodo doesn't care for the ending.





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on Tumblr, believe it or not, and I had originally planned to leave it just on there. However, my scene of completion would be greatly upset, so I decided to post it here to my Bagginshield One-offs.

* * *

 

 

            Frodo was inconsolable and there was little to be done about it.

            “Sweetpea,” Bilbo tried.

            Frodo only sobbed in response.

            “It’s all right,” Bilbo said.

            Frodo shook his head and cried a little harder; he did not believe Bilbo.  Not at all.

            “Frodo, please,” Bilbo pleaded.

            Frodo heaved with his sobs.  “But … but … he died!”

            Bilbo sighed.  “Yes … I know, sweetie, but–”

            Frodo shook his head again.  “The king died!”

            Bilbo closed eyes and cursed his foolishness; he should never have read the ending to Frodo.  “I know.”

            “It’s … it’s … not fair!”

            “No.  No, it’s not fair.  But that’s the lesson to learn.”

            “Change it!”

            “Frodo, I–”

            “Change it!  Make him live again!”

            Bilbo hung his head; it was going to be a very long night.

            “What’s going on?!”

            Frodo was up like a shot and ran to Thorin, who had just come through the front door.  He clung onto the former Dwarf-king as a drowning man held on to the only thing that would keep him from going under.  Thorin was now even more confused than when he’d come upon Frodo sobbing and demanding something be changed, that someone live again.

            “Who died?”  Thorin asked, bending down to wrap Frodo up in his arms.

            Bilbo gave Thorin a look that didn’t need words.

            “You read him your story?!” Thorin hissed out, while Frodo buried his face in Thorin’s beard.  At least the boy's sobs were easing.

            “I thought he would understand it was only a moral tale."

            “Truly?  You truly thought a five-year-old would understand that?”

            Bilbo sighed out a huff.  “Well, it’s not like that’s what really happened!”

            Frodo’s tears were subsiding but he tightened his hold on Thorin all the same.

            “It’s all right, ghivashel,” Thorin said, softly.  He cradled Frodo gently to him, rocking the boy just a little.  “I’m right here.  I’m all right.  I told you I was coming back.”

            Frodo sniffled and pushed back so that he could look Thorin.  He little eyes searched over the face and beard he knew and loved so well.  But he said, almost to himself, “But Mummy and Daddy said they’d come back too.”

            Frodo broke into more sobs and once again, buried his face in Thorin’s beard, holding on tight to the Uncle he feared he’d lose. Thorin gave Bilbo a rather heated glare and, to his credit, Bilbo looked appropriately remorseful.

            “I think it’s time for someone to be in bed,” Thorin said, gently.

            Frodo sniffled and asked, not looking up, “Can I sleep with you?”

            Thorin closed his eyes and begged for strength.  LIke most small children, Frodo was a ball of energy, even when asleep, meaning he was all over the place, that in turn would mean a somewhat sleepless night.  So, of course, Thorin said, “Absolutely.”

 

—–ooooo—–

 

            Not a half-hour later, Bilbo, Thorin, and Frodo were all ensconced in the big bed in Bag End’s Master Bedroom.  Frodo was sound asleep, snug as a bug, in between his two Uncles, who were _not_  asleep.

            “Why,” Thorin whispered, “for Mahal’s sake, did you read him that ending?!”

            “He asked!” Bilbo insisted, whispering back.  “I tried to put him off but he kept pestering me about it!”

            “And you couldn’t have told him the truth?!  That Everyone lived; no one died?!”     

            Bilbo rolled his eyes.  “The deaths at the end are poignant!  They drive home the moral of the story!”

            Thorin made a disbelieving face.  “And he couldn’t have learned that with knowing the truth?!”

            Bilbo huffed.  “Even you have to admit ... everyone got better, the king and burglar admitted their stupidity, then argued over the king tossing away his crown, before they moved to The Shire to _shack up_ and cause a minor scandal in Hobbiton .. does _not_ have quite the same impact as the King and his nephews dying!”

            “Yes, well … tell that to the dead King!”

            “Keep it up and I will be!”

 

 

 


End file.
